Taking Credit

Many women working with men in traditionally male fields fail to take credit for their own achievements. In one study, women believed they were collaborating remotely with someone on a management task at an investment firm. In fact, they worked alone, and they all got positive feedback. When asked to rate their own contribution, women who thought they'd worked solo or with a female partner had no trouble taking credit. But about 60 percent of those who supposedly teamed with a man cited the nonexistent coworker's input as more important than her own, according to Michelle C. Haynes, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, and Madeline E. Heilman, a professor of psychology at New York University. Women who resist this downplaying are likely to have more opportunities for advancement, the study authors say.